Wednesday, April 5, 2023

A POEM ABOUT WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE COME FROM

CANNIBALS
By Juan Fernando Villag贸mez

There are arrows carved of human
bone in crooks in caves, ritual hangings
on the trees – the flesh
of enemies.

Isn’t this our history– written on the
bodies as they’re put into the ground.
Like the earlobe pendants, molar necklaces
you saw men wear on television.
 It was the ocean-salted skin of sailors 
That turned my people blind. 
High-speed blood bursting veins,
diabetic, comatose,  
becomes genetic over time. 

Somewhere in the basement 
of my parents’ home, 
a hidden cave scooped 
out the mountainside
a coastal land devoured  
by the sea.

Will you find 
a spyglass, compass, undigested,
 lodged inside the ribcage
 of my great-great-grandfather’s 
great-great grandmother?
 
If you climb to the top of the hill, and stare
long enough, and if you have enough 
faith, it’ll make itself clear to you. 
 
A stain 
on the altar to the gods 
in the shape 
of a savage brother’s
savage heart.

(Juan Fernando Villag贸mez is a writer from Houston, TX. His work has been published in the Cincinnati Review, The Acentos Review, and Adelaide Literary Magazine. He is a member of the Macondo community for writers and was a finalist for the 2021 Keene Prize for Literature. His writing has received support from the James A. Michener Center for Writers and the Crawley-Garwood Research Grant. He holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Texas in Austin where he lives with his dog, Abba and two cats, Brick and Ghost.)

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Poetry only in "stanza" style, but, to me, that's prose.

jmho


Anonymous said...

Not a poem, but a word salad. Much like what you hear Sheila Jackson Lee, Hank Johnson, Frederica Wilson, Kamala Harris, and Joy Reid say without making much sense.

Anonymous said...

Melania nowhere to be seen at Trump’s post-arraignment Mar-a-Lago speech


(uh, not good for Cheeto. She's gone, onto the bed of another man.)


ha ha ha ha


Anonymous said...

Fathead Donald Trump gave a pathetic, everybody-blames-me-for-everything speech at Mar-A-Cago after his indictment yesterday. The 76-year-old pussy still doesn't get it and calling the judge a New York a "Trump-hating judge" is about to get him a gag order. The rage looked pitiful. Trump's wife Melania and his daughter Ivanka were not there, absent because they know some bad shit is coming down against the worst president ever.

Americans are tired of his shitshow.


Lock him up!


Anonymous said...

A sentiment uttered many times before, in different lingo but in the same vein.

Anonymous said...

What the hell does this article have to do with Donald Trump? Enough

Anonymous said...

This article has nothing to do with Donald Trump. What you as citizens of Cameron County should be investigating is your very own Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, he wants us taxpayers to pay for his $3 million dollar settlement for his joy ride. He had an Ext marital affair while in office and wants Texas taxpayers to pay for his corrupt conduct. Ken Paxton has been under indictment since around 2015 and has never been held accountable for this crime. He himself has already made a precedent in Hidalgo County with an election fraud case. Something like using his position to accuse and point the finger at other criminal when he himself is a criminal. Clean your county and the state of Texas before you play with the BIG BOYS. This is my opinion

Anonymous said...

The point is that, humans are savages. Here in Brownsville we have Tony Martinez leading the gang, Trey Mendez, Turi, Captain Bob, and the list goes on...

Anonymous said...

On Trump -

Juan, I love how D.A. Alvin Bragg never once mentioned criminal defendant Trump as President or even ex-President during his press conference. It was priceless!馃榿


Anonymous said...

RIP Andres Garcia -

El actor mexicano Andr茅s Garc铆a, de filmes como “Pedro Navaja”, “Chanoc” y as铆 como telenovelas como “La sonrisa del diablo”, “Velo de novia” y “Ana del aire”, falleci贸 este martes. Ten铆a 81 a帽os de edad.

La Asociaci贸n Nacional de Int茅rpretes inform贸 de su deceso. “Actor con gran trayectoria en teatro, cine y televisi贸n”, se帽al贸 la organizaci贸n en su cuenta de Twitter. “A familiares y amigos les mandamos nuestras condolencias”. Representantes de la asociaci贸n confirmaron el fallecimiento a The Associated Press tras la publicaci贸n.


Anonymous said...

Juan no more articles on el gran robo del BPUB? Y Los Refunds. ? just asking

Anonymous said...

PUB PUB BPUB PUB BPUB ni el gringo ni la coco wanna be white are saying much about bpub, they don't care. They both think they are already elected. No so quick mamones...we have the last say-so

Anonymous said...

Crime pays in Brownsville this communities politicians are dirty and there fake Christian and catholic views are only to enrich themselves.Even law enforcement is in on it standing on the sidelines like a fan letting blatant abuse of public monies be the norm at BISD,COB and especially at PUB. Judgement will come to them in one way or another they give back in pennies and nickles to handle there guilt but it won't be enough for there evil GREED.

Anonymous said...

Not too much to say, I have a heap of photos that I want to share. I'm currently studying at UTRGV. I haven't always lived here so I'd love to meet some likeminded people :)


Anonymous said...

This kid (Villagomez) is going to be famous

Anonymous said...

first cave changos, than aztecas, than spaniards, than meskins and now hispanos and later cocos... fact
Moral of the Story is simple YOU WILL NEVER BE WHITE IDIOTA MAMON.

rita